Talk:Meluan Lackless/@comment-26010595-20150116165924
Thought about these lackless riddles a lot over the last few days... I wanted to provide an alternate theory or two. This is by far a stretch, had to make up a lot of stuff, but since its speculation, I had fun with it. My earliest ideas started with each line having 3 meanings, 3 and 7 (I never concluded that train of thought). Like the stories of the Chandrian, and the stories of Kvote, I believe these riddles have changed shape over time and distance and therefor are only a shade of something solvable. The first version we see (early in the name of the wind novel) was obviously made to call Lady Lackless a whore (the sexual implication is pointed out by Kvothe). The second version we see is recited by a troupe that is closer to Lackless's homeland, and I think that might make it closer to the original shape. So I dismiss the first version and focus on the second ''-Seven things stand before '' ''-the entrance to the Lackless door.'' I don't know what the lackless door is, but I take it to be the door in the University. Lackless is a family that is said to have a very long blood line. Cadicus (the arcanist who was poisoning the Maer) stated that he heard that there is an heirloom on the family's original estate that was a door that was locked but was lockless. Given that many of the rich familys have enormous libraries, I was thinking about how the University as it is today might have started as someone's estate in the time befor this time (before Seven of Eight cities were destroyed and time dulled the shapers). If the story of Jax is true (suggested by Fae lore from Felurian), then perhaps this was the Crooked manor he unfolded from his house. Lackless, decendant from Jax who locked away the moons name in an iron box behind a lockless door on his manor. After the world was broken once by the creation war, and again by Lanre, the manor was in the last standing city becomes the place where the last knowers shapers and speakers return, and it becomes the university, somewhere within is a Lockless door. -''One of them a ring unworn'' Following my theme, at the university, wearing a ring signifies mastery over a name. A ring unworn might be a name that is mastered by a person, but not worn. Or perhaps a name that cannot be worn in some fashion (I was thinking about the name of a Lock or the name of OpenLock or something like that) ''-One a word that is forsworn'' A word that should never be spoken, or a word given up. I kept thinking about how often people who refuse to talk about the Chandrian, and this made me theorize (in my theme) that it was that word, or the true name of Haliax. Also, due to my next line, I was thinking this could be the true name of Time itself. ''-One a time that must be right'' A person who gained mastery over time could know the perfect moment to be there for the openning. Also, the time might be the perfect fleeting moments in which Kvothe wakes his sleeping mind ''-One a candle without light'' At first I thought this was a wax mommet or some kind of heat-eater... but I now think this is Kvothe himself due to the amount of references to his hair being on fire, or that he stands out like a single Candle in a dark room. It would make sense to me that this is the 4th thing, the one in the middle of all else. ''-One a son who brings the blood'' My first guess was An amyr, the blood tatooed warriors. Or that Kvothe becomes or joins forces with one. I have no good answers for that except for the ones already theorized in previous comments. Although, keeping in line with my lackless theme... Kvothe may be of the Lackless bloodline and would bring the blood requirement for the openning. ''-One a door that holds the flood'' Some kind of charm or thing that will hold back that which is behind the lockless door. Extreme control over the mind, the Heart of Stone, holds back the flood of emotion. ''-One a thing tight-held in keeping'' So many things came to my mind with this, but the two that I felt best fit my theme was Kvothe's Lute or Adem Sword or Kvothe's true name. If this riddle is solved in Book 3, and theories of Kvothe changing his true name is true, perhaps he gave it up to open the door. ''-Then comes that which comes with sleeping'' The sleeping mind knows all things. Behind the door in the University is locked the knowledge of all things. Kvothe's third silence is that of a man waiting to die, perhaps a man who knows when he will die. Well... as you can see, this is not a terribly sturdy theory, but the overall theme of Lockless family door being at the university and it was created by Jax(Iax?) who stole the moon's name (and with it the most important secrets). Inside the box that Meluan has might be the same name used to lock the door inside which the truth of all things is contained. One major flaw to the whole train of thought is that The highest members of the University might already know whats inside the door or have access to it (or that I made a major misinterpretation of what that door was while reading). Anyway, maybe spark a few ideas from someone else. Cheers